Building Smarter OrganizationsWhat makes organizations smart? How do they excel? What secrets do they know? Our speakers share key strategies for building smarter organizations, highlights real world examples, and spark insights and ideas for making your organization smarter!

Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged OrganizationOne-on-one with author Dan Pontefract, Head, Learning & Collaboration, TELUS, about his new book and the five models that can help your organization be more connected, engaged, and successful.

Keynote: Smart Tech = Smarter OrganizationsAdvances in mobility, connectivity, online collaboration, voice and video interaction, and concepts like Unified Communications, BYOD and Cloud, have propelled our thinking of productivity and workforce wellness to new heights. The next generation workforce has long prepared itself for new ways of collaboration and new ways of work. Working where we want and when we want has become part of our daily reality, company cultures are quickly adapting to the benefits of an empowered and mobile workforce. Our smart tech expert shares tips for building smarter organizations, collaborative workspaces and empowered, productive and untethered workforces.

Expediting learning for smarter organizationsDoes the Apple (iPad) fall far from the Tree (of Knowledge)?Organizations can no longer maintain a workable distinction betweenknowledge management and professional development if they expect to drivegrowth in the knowledge economy. KM and PD will have stronger combinedresults and impact by redefining their interactions and fostering thedevelopment of a new breed of professional who understands both. Technologyis driving change in both the learning and knowledge spheres and innovationdepends on new ways of sharing knowledge, experience and information.Concrete examples are shared on how some organizations are integrating theirknowledge and learning resources to "build" smarter professionals.

1) Innovation using Jive @ PwC CanadaHow do you harness the innovative capability of 5,500 talented people spread out over 27 office locations in 5 time zones working in 4 different lines of service? You connect them together with a social networking platform, add some leadership, and leverage some hidden culture. This presentation will provide the how - and the how not - of creating a sustainable innovation machine for your organization using an award-winning technology platform.

2) Culture = bottom-line impactOrganizational culture is as close to a “magic bullet” as one can find in truly understanding and positively impacting the inner workings of an organization. It is implicit in the way in which people collaborate, projects are accomplished, leaders lead and manage, performance is assessed and how an organization performs and meets its strategic objectives. If one is to understand how to create a “smart” organization, one must look to the issue of culture. Those who ignore this crucial issue do so at their own risk. The most cleverly crafted strategic plans depend on individuals to deliver them – the way people behave ultimately determines success or failure. This talk focuses on organizational culture, explores its importance to an understanding of the “smart” organization, and shares case study examples of the impact that a focus on culture has had on overall organizational performance.

3) Increasing collaboration & communication @ Hicks MorelyFilled with practical tips on what worked and the lessons learned, this session highlights the coordinated effort between IT and Knowledge Management to find a secure, cost-effective, user-friendly application that would add value and help increase collaboration; including how to: pilot the wiki concept and building success stories & champions, select a provider and cost effective platform that meet your needs, implement strategy & updating process, identify the benefits of a social intranet, best practices and what worked well

4) A community of leaders = smarter organizationsThe old models of leadership over emphasize the individual - the one person we all looked up to, the one with all the answers. In today's complex world this doesn't work. In fact it creates organizational risk. The new model is about creating true communities of leaders where there is high clarity and commitment and where leaders collaborate across silos, drive alignment and deep sense of engagement among employees. Get some ideas and insights for building communities of leaders who steer smarter organizations.

How your organization can get smarterThis “knowledge café” style discussion will focus on the importance of enterprise social networking in building smarter organizations, discusses getting sponsorship, engaging staff, providing leadership, and more! Join your colleagues for information and lively conversations.

Table discussion with speakers

4:15-4:30

Future ChallengesCrowdsourced challenges, tools and solutions to build smarter organizations from your colleagues at the conference

After Event Meet Up: Continue the Conversation!To register ($20) and for more info click here.

Organized by the Knowledge Workers Toronto - the community for knowledge workers in Toronto. The group has been meeting regularly for more than 4 years and members include people from a variety of knowledge-intensive industries, including finance, law, government, and the not-for-profit sector. The group discusses the goals, issues and opportunities facing knowledge professionals. Knowledge Workers Toronto encourages members to share their experiences, issues, and network across industry boundaries